Gluing up dissimilar woods...bad idea???

[Dumb_Polack]

Got some time this weekend and I saw a picture of this chess board on the innerwebs and I thought I'd try my hand at building it.  Problem is that the wood stash of thick boards is somewhat limited.  I have the cherry and this white cedar from an old fence post I'd like to use (waste not, want not, eh?).  I know in the picture they don't look all that contrasting, but I'll test some Danish oil, hoping that the cherry will darken vs the white cedar.  I've got more of the white cedar so I should be able to get knot-free blanks.


I probably will need to build a jig to glue up the "rows" of squares.  Still need to mull that over in the melon what's the best approach would be.

Given that cherry is a hardwood and the white cedar is soft, do you think I'll encounter any issues with expansion/contraction???  They will be small pieces so I might be over-thinking it.  Your thoughts?

[EightFingers]

Segmented bowl turners do it all the time, same with cutting boards.

However, I would not want to play chess on that.


Make sure the stock is of uniform moisture content, though

[Dumb_Polack]

Segmented bowl turners do it all the time, same with cutting boards.

However, I would not want to play chess on that.


Make sure the stock is of uniform moisture content, though

Ok, thanks.

Yeah, it isn't my cuppa tea, but I thought I'd give it a shot

[jteneyck]

Here's what the Wood Database says about them.

C[b]ommon Name(s):[/b] Black cherry, American cherry
[b]Scientific Name:[/b] [i]Prunus serotina[/i]
[b]Distribution:[/b] Eastern North America
[b]Tree Size:[/b] 50-100 ft (15-30 m) tall,
                      3-5 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter
[b]Average Dried Weight:[/b] 35.0 lbs/ft3 (560 kg/m3)
[b]Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC)[/b]: 0.47, 0.56
[b]Janka Hardness[/b]: 950 lbf (4,230 N)
[b]Modulus of Rupture[/b]: 12,300 lbf/in2 (84.8 MPa)
[b]Elastic Modulus[/b]: 1,490,000 lbf/in2 (10.3 GPa)
[b]Crushing Strength[/b]: 7,110 lbf/in2 (49 MPa)
[b]Shrinkage[/b]: Radial: 3.7%, Tangential: 7.1%,
                             Volumetric: 11.5%, T/R Ratio: 1.9




[b]Common Name(s):[/b] Northern white cedar, eastern arborvitae
[b]Scientific Name:[/b] [i]Thuja occidentalis[/i]
[b]Distribution:[/b] Northeastern North America
[b]Tree Size:[/b] 50-65 ft (15-20 m) tall,
                     1.3-2 ft (.4-.6 m) trunk diameter
[b]Average Dried Weight:[/b] 22.0 lbs/ft3 (350 kg/m3)
[b]Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC)[/b]: 0.29, 0.35
[b]Janka Hardness[/b]: 320 lbf (1,420 N)
[b]Modulus of Rupture[/b]: 6,500 lbf/in2 (44.8 MPa)
[b]Elastic Modulus[/b]: 800,000 lbf/in2 (5.52 GPa)
[b]Crushing Strength[/b]: 3,960 lbf/in2 (27.3 MPa)
[b]Shrinkage[/b]: Radial: 2.2%, Tangential: 4.9%,
                          Volumetric: 7.2%, T/R Ratio: 2.2


They are quite different, but then I thought about maple, as it often is combined with cherry in cutting boards.  

[b]Common Name(s):[/b] Hard maple, sugar maple, rock maple
[b]Scientific Name:[/b] Acer saccharum
[b]Distribution:[/b] Northeastern North America
[b]Tree Size:[/b] 80-115 ft (25-35 m) tall,
                     2-3 ft (.6-1.0 m) trunk diameter
[b]Average Dried Weight: [/b]44.0 lbs/ft3 (705 kg/m3)
[b]Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC):[/b] .56, .71
[b]Janka Hardness:[/b] 1,450 lbf (6,450 N)
[b]Modulus of Rupture:[/b] 15,800 lbf/in2(109.0 MPa)
[b]Elastic Modulus: [/b]1,830,000 lbf/in2(12.62 GPa)
[b]Crushing Strength:[/b] 7,830 lbf/in2 (54.0 MPa)
[b]Shrinkage:[/b] Radial: 4.8%, Tangential: 9.9%,
                          Volumetric: 14.7%, T/R Ratio: 1.9

Well, maple and cherry are a lot closer in shrinkage than white cedar.  On the other hand, cedar is very soft so maybe it can tolerate a greater difference.  Worth a shot.  You're using scrap so the major investment is your time.  

John

[wing nut]

Got some time this weekend and I saw a picture of this chess board on the innerwebs and I thought I'd try my hand at building it.  Problem is that the wood stash of thick boards is somewhat limited.  I have the cherry and this white cedar from an old fence post I'd like to use (waste not, want not, eh?).  I know in the picture they don't look all that contrasting, but I'll test some Danish oil, hoping that the cherry will darken vs the white cedar.  I've got more of the white cedar so I should be able to get knot-free blanks.


I probably will need to build a jig to glue up the "rows" of squares.  Still need to mull that over in the melon what's the best approach would be.

Given that cherry is a hardwood and the white cedar is soft, do you think I'll encounter any issues with expansion/contraction???  They will be small pieces so I might be over-thinking it.  Your thoughts?

done it a lot of times, No problems if woods are similar in properties, afterwards oil and clear seal, never had a problem.